Tag Archives: Green Living

The Secret to a Truly Abundant Holiday

November 25, 2010 4:30 am \

If I had one wish this Thanksgiving Day, it would be to liberate everyone around the world from over-consumption.  Because stuff never brings genuine happiness.

It may bring fleeting moments of happiness, but not a deep abiding joy.

Karen Ruby beautifully explains the sense of freedom that comes from recognizing this simple truth:

“Now that I am debt-free, I look around at all the things that I had put on my credit card and line of credit and can just smack myself in the head. What was I thinking? I was probably thinking that since I couldn’t stand my job and since I worked so hard (if sitting in front of a computer all day long is hard work), that I deserved to spend my money on some retail therapy. Instant gratification.  On things I ”wanted”, rather than ‘needed’.”

Doesn’t she hit the nail on the head?

Think about it for a moment.  Isn’t excessive spending often driven by a need to fill an emotional gap of one sort or the other?  Do you ever find this to be true for you?

Somehow though it almost always backfires.

The satisfaction is momentary and then we crave more, which creates an endless cycle of never having enough.  Stuff never really fills the gap.  Most of the time it brings a slew of its own problems. Like bills, debt, repairs, loss, fear of theft, breakage, wearing out, not meeting our expectations, or not giving us the same charge as when it was new.

It’s mind-boggling to learn that:

“Americans spend more money trying to look young than we spend on educating our young.  We also spend more on dieting than on feeding the hungry, although modern agriculture has made feeding the hungry an attainable goal.” – Eileen Flanagan

Despite all these pleasures and indulgences, we never seem fully satisfied.

A New Vision of Abundance

The minimalist movement is all about nipping over-consumption in the bud and embracing simplicity to secure a deeper happiness.  Don’t worry,  I’m not proposing that everyone become a minimalist.  I don’t think it’s necessary to do away with consumption altogether.

But I do wish -  with all my heart – for a new vision of abundance.

It’s a vision of prosperity defined not by:

“having an abundance of material wealth but more in the sense of flourishing mentally and emotionally.” – the Dalai Lama

In short, to be always well within.

When you are always well within, outer circumstances can change – they always will – but your sense of contentment, confidence, and happiness will not be troubled too much.  Big sufferings may come, it’s just a fact of life, and you might be thrown off balance for awhile.  But in time you will find your way back to center and reconnect your own inner spring of genuine happiness.  Real happiness is an inside job.

So before you are lured into unnecessary spending on Black Friday or Cyber Monday, take a moment to consider:  what do you truly need?  What do others truly need?  What will bring you true happiness?

Sure, it’s the holiday season and there’s no reason to be a Scrooge.  But there are many reasons to be moderate, including your own sense of sanity as well as the health of the planet.  Enjoy yourself fully but in a sensible way that doesn’t bring more stress and hassle now or in the future.

Ideas for Green Gifts

Here are some green gift ideas to help you keep it simple and sane this holiday season.

The Joy of Gratitude

While you are still in Thanksgiving mode, you might also enjoy my article on gratitude:  101 Rays of Gratitude.  Creating a list of 101 gratitudes is an incredible exercise that I recommend to you.  It will definitely strengthen your gratitude muscle.

I also want to take a moment to tell you how enormously grateful I am to all of you.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, leave comments, tweet and share my posts, and support me in so many other ways.  Your interest, kindness, and insights bring a sense of richness to me each and everyday.  Thank you with all my heart.

This Thanksgiving, I wish you true abundance and prosperity.  May you always be well, happy, and safe.

Any thoughts to share on true abundance?  What are your plans for a saner holiday season?

Thank you for reading.  If you liked this article, please share the link with others.  Thanks so much!  Sandra

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Is Everett Bogue right?

August 9, 2010 8:16 am \
night-in-the-city-

With more than 50,000 monthly readers, Everett Bogue’s highly popular, blog, Far Beyond the Stars, focuses on minimalism — the art of living with less in order to experience a rich and full life that is not defined nor dominated by possessions.

In the context of minimalism, “less” generally means fewer possessions and fewer extraneous activities.  “Rich” means creating space and time to focus upon that which infuses your life with meaning.  This could be family, life experiences, writing, travel, learning, yoga, gardening, a minimalist business, or something else entirely depending upon your own definition.

In a recent article entitled “How You Can Actually Help With the Gulf Oil Spill (but probably won’t),” Everett boils down the cause of the oil spill to you and me (and him).

That’s right, he says the oil spill is our fault because we drive.

His four-point solution to overcoming oil dependency is simple, but even he feared his readers would find it controversial:

1. Stop driving now
2. Stop buying stuff now
3. Eat local now
4. Share this message

Is Everett right?

Is Everett just trying to scare us or be sensational? Do we need to go this far? How much do we really need to give up?  Do we need to stop driving our own car altogether?  Or even give up our car? What about flying? Do we need to stop buying stuff period?

When do we need to start?  Can we afford a 5 or 10 year gradual personal transition plan?  Is blogging, speaking, and dreaming green really hitting the target or just creating a different mode of consumerism?

I think it’s critical to ask tough questions like these, to dialogue about them with others, and to take the time to boldly assess and change our own lifestyle.

Without the oil spill shake up, it might be easy to miss the far-reaching implications of our current level of oil use and just go on living the status quo. Being green is in vogue, but it doesn’t necessarily equate with reducing consumerism. Is there a danger of making a few eco-friendly changes, feeling self-satisfied, but still continuing in the same old oil consuming groove?

The green experts agree

The green experts align with Everett’s view.  In an article at Treehugger,  Matthew McDermott says that it’s not a question of whether we want to use less oil, but rather that “we will be using less oil in the future, whether by choice, by supply shortages, or a combination of these.”  It appears that the idea of free choice may be a momentary illusion.

Since 71%  of oil goes to transportation—transporting ourselves and the goods and foods we purchase, there’s no question that a radical reduction in driving and travel are required in a new green world.  Matthew goes on to say that  “…when it comes down to it, creating more communities where the average person’s daily needs are met on foot, on non-motorized vehicle and via public transportation, is the most critical piece of using less oil.”

This is the crucial message that is taking root in me:  the biggest gains will come from a significant reduction in transportation – my own driving and flying and the transportation of goods that I buy. And yours too.  We can make a difference, but only if we take significant steps.

Everett’s solution is for everyone to move to a city where they can walk or take public transportation. While the idea is good in principle, it may not be realistic for everyone to suddenly move to a city. There’s not enough space for one thing. However, we can apply the same logic underneath the idea wherever we live by driving less—a lot less—and shopping locally.  We can also begin redesigning our communities to function with more regional practicality.

For example, I live in a pristine environment and have no intention of moving into a city filled with environmental pollutants.  Instead, I work at home, keep my driving to a minimum and, as much as possible, access resources within a five mild radius of my home.  I’m fortunate to have a chiropractor, physical therapist, plumber, car mechanic, farmer’s market, yoga and meditation courses, small gift shop,  garage sales, and a community center in close proximity.  These are conscious choices.

Sustainability dovetails with mindfulness—as learned via meditation—because it always comes down to being awake and aware with each and every choice I make, day in and day out.  This is not the era to live on automatic or follow our well worn comfortable patterns of existence.

Other views of sustainable living

As you can probably tell, I’m fascinated by the question of sustainable living—what it looks like and how to get there.  In another excellent article, Lynn Fang discusses the definition of sustainability from an ecological perspective and gives tips for how to live in a more sustainable way.

Raam Dev paints a beautiful, but different picture of sustainability as he explores the highest reaches of Nepal—a region and a people not yet fully spoiled by unsustainable, needless consumption.

“The fertile mountains were covered in fields of rice, corn, pumpkins, and potatoes. Tiny homes dotted the landscape. Rivers, fed by the monsoon rains, gushed down the hills creating an abundance of waterfalls and streams. This was the real Nepal. A country where the people had learned to embrace the land and respect it, where they had accepted hardship as a way of life and where the Earth had given them health and abundance in return; a place where sustainability was a way of life.”

Questions for reflection and discussion:

Do you agree with Everett? Is the answer so simple?  Are you up for it?   How far do you think we need to go?

You might also like:

If you liked this article, please share the link with others.  Thanks very much! Sandra

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Posted in: Eco-Friendly, Personal Development \ Tagged: , , , , ,

The Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010

August 2, 2010 3:43 pm \
The Story of Cosmetics

The Story of Cosmetics

The U. S. cosmetics industry is all riled up.  I wonder why they don’t like the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010?  And, they really don’t like Annie Leonard’s terrific video The Story of Cosmetics.

In fact, the Personal Care Products Council has even issued a statement calling the video a “repugnant and absurd…shockumentary.”

Obviously, the video is not to be missed!

Just click on the link above to hear all about the lead in your lipstick, petrochemicals in your shampoo, and the phthalates in perfume and fragrance.

Yes, hundreds of chemicals in the cosmetics and personal care products you and I use every single day.  Neurotoxins, carcinogens, hormone disrupters, and more as explained by the Environmental Working Group:

“According to EWG’s research, 22 percent of all personal care products, including children’s products, may contain a cancer-causing ingredient, 1,4-Dioxane, and 60 percent of sunscreens contain oxybenzone, a potential hormone disruptor. Other studies have raised alarms about lead in lipstick, secret chemicals in fragrance and preservatives in personal care products.”

Now this is not news to me because I know a number of people who have varioius physical reactions when exposed to the chemicals in cosmetics, fragrance, and cleaning products ranging from mild to severe.  Some  have even developed serious multiple chemical sensitivity or environmental illness.

The numbers are adding up and the medical establishment can no longer blow off chemical sensitivity as psychogenic.  In fact, there’s now scientific research tracing the causes of chemical sensitivity to toxic chemicals.  Furthermore, women are up in arms about the dramatic rise in chronic disease among children and the explosion of allergies and asthma in the young.

The Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010 (HR 5786) in a nutshell

According to the Story of Stuff blog,

“The Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010 also would require all ingredients in a cosmetic product to be listed on the product’s label and would give the Secretary of Health and Human Services two years to develop a list of prohibited or restricted ingredients.”

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics says:

“The Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010, introduced by U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky with Rep. Edward Markey and Rep. Tammy Baldwin, is a huge moment for consumers, parents and environmental health advocates: for the first time in 70 years, we have a real chance to pass national legislation that would eliminate harmful chemicals from the products women, men and children put on their bodies every day.”

Everyone’s talking about the Story of Cosmetics

Everyone’s talking about Annie Leonard’s video, the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010, and their own problems with the unnatural ingredients in cosmetics.

Lead in lipstick!

Beth Terry at Fake Plastic Fish recounts the effects of sitting next to the wrong person on an airplane.

“Flying home from Maryland on Saturday, I sat next to a really cute guy. Unfortunately, the plane was completely full, so I couldn’t switch seats to get away from him. Well, not him. He was cute. But his Axe cologne, or whatever heinous product he was wearing, made my eyes water, nose itch, throat close up, and left me with a throbbing headache.

I reached for a handkerchief to cover my nose, but sadly my very helpful dad had tossed in a Bounce dryer sheet when he did my laundry, and my hanky just made me sneeze even more.”

This could suddenly happen to you one day, too.  As Beth goes on to explain, you become more and more sensitized with repeated exposure to environmental chemicals like those found in your everyday personal care and cleaning products.  One day, you just wake up and start sneezing when you pick up a pile of laundry washed in standard detergent and fabric softener.  The symptoms can then multiply like wildfire. While some people develop acute and chronic reactions to the toxic chemicals themselves, others may never know that these same noxious toxins contributed to the onset of cancer, autoimmune disease, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, or another disorder.

Petrol Essences

At Upcycled Love, Lynn Fang, scientist by day and blogger by night, describes her personal investigation into toxins in her personal care items starting with the sodium lauryl sulfate (a major skin irritant) and parabens (which have estrogen-like effects) in her shampoo and conditioner. Lynn offers two important tips for becoming a smarter shopping in the cosmetics and personal care department.  She also lists non-toxic alternatives in her article.

What can you do?

The Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010 presents an unprecedented opportunity to speak out for safe ingredients in your cosmetics and personal care products.  For your own safety and the safety of your children, please consider taking the following steps.

1. Educate yourself and your family.

  • Learn about the effects of toxins in our everyday products on children at Healthy Child, Healthy World.
  • Watch The Story of Cosmetics video by Annie Leonard (link above) and follow The Story of Stuff blog.
  • Watch The Story Behind Cosmetics by the Environmental Working Group (different video, same topic) and read the Environmental Working Group’s blog to stay abreast of the most potent news about environmental toxins and public health.
  • Visit Fake Plastic Fish and Upcycled Love (links above) to read about what ordinary women like you and me are finding out about their cosmetics and what they’re doing about it.

2. Vote with your dollars. Use the EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Safety Data Base to evaluate the safety of a cosmetic or personal care product product before you purchase it. Refuse popular products like Herbal Essences and Pantene Pro that contain potentially dangerous chemicals.

3. Support the Cosmetics Safety Act of 2010. Let Congress know that you support the Cosmetics Safety Act of 2010. Visit the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics website to sign a letter to your Member of Congress. Make sure your voice is heard.

4.  Share the links. Share the links to the two videos—the Story of Cosmetics and the Story Behind Cosmetics—via your social networks like Facebook and Twitter.  Thanks to people like you and me, more than 50,000 people viewed the Story of Cosmetics on July 21 alone. Let’s keep the ball rolling.

5. Blog about it. If you have a blog, blog about the potential dangers contained in our personal care products, the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010, and share the links in this article.

6. Throw a Story of Cosmetics and the Story Behind Cosmetics Viewing Party and dialogue with your friends.

I’m very excited about this monumental step forward to raise public awareness about the dangers of environmental chemicals in our everyday products. Thank you to U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, who introduced the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010. Thank you to all the audacious women who are getting the cosmetic industry all riled up.

As Annie Leonard says, “Toxins In, Toxins Out.” Together, we can help take toxic chemicals off the shelf.

What do you think about toxic chemicals in cosmetics?

If you liked this article, please share the link.  Thank you!  Sandra

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